Vinson Voice, Vol. 4, Issue 02

APRIL 25, 2013

USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70) VOL 4 ISSUE 02

CARL VINSON

REMEMBERS

Holocaust

VICTIMS

CIWS

LET’S WASH IT!

HSC-15 & HSM-73

Unit-Level Training

HIGHLY AUTOMATED ABOARD TO TRAIN

Anchors Aweigh this is how we do it

a countermeasure washdown experience

$ MONEY MATTERS

HOLOCAUST

Cover Image: Inmates waving a homemade American flag greet 7th Army troops upon their arrival at the Allach concentration camp, a subcamp of Dachau. Photo courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration.

A Day of Remembrance

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pril marks the remembrance of one of humanity’s most tragic genocides. American Heritage Observance Committee (AHOC) Sailors aboard Carl Vinson will honor the lives of millions lost during the Holocaust with a “Reading of the Names” ceremony Monday, April 29.

In 1933, Adolf Hitler led Nazi Germany in an assault on Jews. By 1945, they had systematically killed an estimated 11 million people during World War II, including approximately six million of the nine million Jews who resided in Europe before the Holocaust.

A network of more than 40,000 facilities throughout Germany and German-controlled territories facilitated the concentration, forced labor and termination of lives through inhumane methods, and for reasons that continue to shock the world.

The Holocaust affects the ancestors and friends of multiple Sailors aboard Carl Vinson, some of whom chose to share their stories.

Since 2008, Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class (AW/ SW) Abraham Dweck, aircraft intermediate maintenance department’s (AIMD) IM-3 production leading petty officer (LPO), has participated in the day of remembrance for Holocaust victims sponsored by Carl Vinson’s AHOC. Dweck is the Jewish lay leader for Carl Vinson and one of 18 people

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by MC3 Michael H. Lee

who will read names of Holocaust victims during the ceremony next week.

“I grew up as an Orthodox Jew and I was raised in a private school; we learned a lot about the Holocaust,” Dweck said. “My teacher’s husband is a Holocaust survivor. So, I don’t like people forgetting the story of the Holocaust or thinking that it never actually happened.”

Personnel Specialist 2nd Class Jan Wojtyna, a disbursing agent assigned to supply department’s S-4 division, shared his Polish heritage and how the tragedies perpetrated on Poles during World War II affected him.

“When you grow up like I did, 30 miles from the sites of former concentration

Photos courtesy of National Archives

and death camps, you live your daily life with the grim awareness of what happened,” Wojtyna said. “[For] every single person who goes to school in Poland, by the time they reach the eighth grade, they’re mandated to go and visit either Auschwitz or AuschwitzBirkenau.”

Of the many thousands of concentration and extermination camps used by the Nazis, AuschwitzBirkenau is infamously known for the termination of approximately one million people during World War II. Wojtyna’s grandfather and granduncle were abducted by Germans and transported to forced-labor sites. His grandfather managed to escape after several months of labor on a Nazi farm, but his brother, forced to work in the mines, was executed.

Before the Holocaust, Poland had one of the largest concentrations of Jews in the world at the time, followed by the United States, Wojtyna said.

“We never want to repeat the same tragedy and mindless genocide that occurred between 1939 and 1945.”

For some people, knowledge of the Holocaust is hard to discuss even amongst family and friends.

Machinist’s Mate 1st Class (SW) William Barish, training department’s LPO, recalls learning of the Holocaust through his early studies at a Jewish school and through his aunt and a bowling friend, both Holocaust survivors.

Barish’s aunt and friend

infrequently share their thoughts and experiences as Holocaust survivors because the atrocious acts committed against them remain difficult to mention.

I understand, Barish said. “The Holocaust left my aunt and friend as sole survivors of their respective families.”

There are people who are intent on maintaining that the Holocaust did not happen, but there are still survivors and their stories are touching, Dweck added.

“Some people make jokes about it and I get pissed off and it takes a lot to hold back my anger and not do something I shouldn’t do,” Barish said. “Some people will get me to try and watch movies of the Holocaust and I can’t do it. I won’t watch them.”

When the Holocaust is remembered aboard Carl Vinson on

A

Gri m Record

THOSE

UNLIKE CONCENTRATION CAMPS , WHERE PRISONERS WERE FORCED TO WORK THEMSELVES TO DEATH, EXTERMINATION CAMPS WERE FACILITIES BUILT FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF EXECUTING THOSE IMPRISONED. BEFORE THE NAZIS CREATED EXTERMINATION CAMPS, NO SUCH FACILITIES HAD EVER BEEN USED IN THE HISTORY OF W A R F A R E.

A research project conducted by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum estimated that 15 to 20 million people died or were imprisoned.

AFFECTED 6,000,000 JEWS

2 - 3,000,000 REMEMBER Remember THEPast PASTHolocaust Infographic 1.8 - 2,000,000 the The Holocaust (from the Greek words hólos, “whole” and kaustós, “burnt”) refers to the genocide of approximately six million Jews during World War II.

The

Holocaust

began with the NUREMBURG LAWS in 1935, which prohibited Jews from marrying or having sex with “Aryans”, stripped German Jews of their citizenship and deprived them of all civil rights. Hitler said that if the Jewish problem ”cannot be solved by these laws, it must then be handed over by law to the National Socialist Party for a FINAL SOLUTION”. The “final solution”, as made clear at the Wannsee Conference convened by Reinhard Heydrich, was for the Jews “to be annihilated by a combination of forced labor and mass murder”. On November 7, 1938, Jewish minor Herschel Grünspan assassinated the Nazi German diplomat Ernst vom Rath.

The Nazis used this incident to rouse violence against the Jews on a larger scale, in a wave of violence that became known as KRISTALLNACHT, or “THE NIGHT OF BROKEN GLASS”.

Jews were attacked and Jewish property was vandalized.

More than 7,000 Jewish shops and 1,668 synagogues (almost every synagogue in Germany) were damaged or destroyed. While the official death toll was 91, the actual number is assumed to be much higher. After Kristallnacht, 30,000 people were sent to concentration camps.

ONE MILLION Auschwitz-Birkenau

870 THOUSAND Treblinka 600 THOUSAND Belzec GERMANY 79-235 THOUSAND Majdanek 320 THOUSAND Chelmno 250 THOUSAND Sobibor

POLAND

CZECH REPUBLIC

IA VAK SLO AUSTRIA HUNGARY

Monday, AHOC members ask Sailors to be respectful when they cross the enlisted brow and hear the names of thousands of victims who were killed.

“It can be hard for us to imagine genocide, or to grasp the number of people killed in the Holocaust,” said Chief Mass Communication Specialist (AW/ SW) Monica R. Nelson, AHOC president.

“By reading the names, though, we not only honor those who passed, but we can impress upon each other the gravity of genocide.”

Nelson estimates AHOC members will only get through reading 10,000 names during the work day on Monday.

“If you do the math based on a figure of 11 million who died in the Holocaust, that means we would have to read names eight hours a day, 365 days a year, for more than three full years in order to give honor to all of them,” Nelson said. “That’s sobering, and it should be.”

“There is no denying the fact that it happened,” Dweck said. “Whether [people] want to believe that it was from the Holocaust, genocide or just part of the war, people were killed because of their race and religion. We remember.”

BELARUS UKRAINE

SOVIET POWS

ETHNIC POLES

220,000 - 1,500,000

ROMANI (GYPSIES)

20,000 25,000 SLOVENES 287,500 - 470,000

OTHER HOLOCAUST VICTIMS

Mentally or physically disabled patients, mainly Germans, living in institutional settings, were murdered in the so-called Euthanasia Program. German authorities also persecuted homosexuals and others whose behavior did not match prescribed social norms.

Communists, Socialists, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Freemasons were other groups of people discrimiated against during the Nazi regime.

DIALOGUES D E C K P L A T E

What would you say to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing?

“I WISH I’D HAVE BEEN THE ONE THAT CAUGHT HIM.” RPSA Hipolito Rivera

“BE STRONG.”

ABHAN Mariah Scott

“BEST OF WISHES AND YOU HAVE MY PRAYERS.”

AO2 (AW) Darius Brame

“I HOPE THEIR FAMILIES ARE WELL TAKEN CARE OF AND NO FURTHER INCIDENTS HAPPEN.” SH1(SW/AW) Seng Chan

“OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES.” ABHAN Sarah-Katie Prielipp

“MY HEART GOES OUT TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES, AND KNOW THAT JUSTICE WILL BE DONE.” MMC (SW) Steven Archuleta

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Anchors Aweigh

by MCSN Curtis D. Spencer

Deck department Sailors secure the anchor chain in the forecastle aboard Carl Vinson. Photo by MC2 (SW/AW) Timothy Hazel.

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arl Vinson’s crew demonstrated proficiency at precision anchoring, the process of dropping an anchor and anchor chain at a specific location to hold a ship in place, April 23. This long-standing, fundamental ability necessary for Sailors aboard all water-going vessels demanded the communication and cohesion of multiple departments to ensure a safe and successful evolution.

“On the bridge, planning begins a couple of days prior,” said Lt. Kevin Kraemer, assistant navigator. “The quartermasters and I first identify our anchorage location and present it to the navigator who then seeks approval from the commanding officer; we find a location where we will have a good visual landmark to drive into and another visual navigational aid to use as a drop bearing. ” Quartermasters then make the plot based on the commanding officer’s decision, said Master Chief Quartermaster (SW/AW/CM) J.J. Myers, Carl Vinson’s senior quartermaster. “We can’t anchor on reefs; we need an obstacle-free site to ensure that the ship does not get caught in any obstructions.”

While it’s important to consider the condition of the ocean floor when anchoring, it’s equally important to have a clear picture of what the surface of the sea will look like.

“We have to know the wind conditions, the tides and the currents before we select a location to anchor, “said Master Chief Quartermaster (SW) Gerard Gaddist, who is slated to succeed Myers as Carl Vinson’s senior quartermaster.

Meanwhile, other departments are also preparing for the evolution.

“The ship must also know what other vessels it may come into contact with while out to sea,” said Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class (SW) Kevin Doty, the leading petty officer (LPO) of deck department’s 1st division.

He credited the ship’s operations specialists with ensuring a potential anchoring point doesn’t conflict with other contacts in the area. “They evaluate whether an area will be safe based on the intelligence they receive,” he explained.

If traffic in the area where the ship anchors is not considered, the ship could face complications, such as collision with another vessel or vulnerability to attack.

“Once security issues have been addressed, both machinist’s mates and boatswain’s mates take the equipment used during anchoring and its maintenance into consideration,” Doty continued. The anchor, anchor chain, windlass and other mechanical gear must work properly.

Prior to anchoring, an inclusive check of the windlass, wild cats and other important equipment is done to guard against malfunctions.

The upkeep of the equipment is a constant concern for both machinist’s mates and boatswain’s mates, requiring considerable attention to detail. Similar to its maintenance, the operation of the anchoring equipment must be skillfully executed. It’s up to boatswain’s mates to operate the gear during the evolution.

Prior to a precision anchorage, a briefing is held to address the mission and spread information important to safety and success.

“There must be a Navigation brief within 24 hours of the evolution,” Kraemer said. “I get input from all the departments: reactor, who makes sure the propulsion plant

is up and running; engineering, who helps make sure anchors are ready for release; deck, who directly helps in anchoring execution and making reports to the bridge as well as working on the bridge; and operations, who makes sure there are no concerns with contacts in the vicinity.”

Additionally, METOC provides a weather report and combat systems sends a status on electronics and radars. The conning officer, officer of the deck, security officer, air boss and executive officer all provide specific input as well.

Kraemer compiles the information for the brief with key departments involved in the evolution. “It can be intensive,” he said of the brief. “The commanding officer and executive officer are present, and it is a preliminary opportunity for the conning officer to demonstrate his or her knowledge on the procedure.”

Once the brief is completed, departments prepare to execute the mission.

Boatswain’s Mate Seaman Justin Norris, left, and Seaman Quentin Rucker, right, loosen an anchor chain stopper during an anchoring evolution in the forecastle aboard Carl Vinson. Photo by MC3 Dean M. Cates.

Boatswain’s mates are manned and ready one hour prior to anchoring, Doty said. “We are responsible for steering the ship, operation of the lee helm, releasing the brakes [on the anchor], dropping the anchor, and being on station prior to and throughout the evolution.”

“As with anything you do, practice, practice, practice makes perfect,” Gaddist said. “You can’t have flawless execution unless your team is knowledgeable, experienced and has the skills required to accomplish a successful anchoring.”

For dropping an anchor to qualify as a precision anchorage, there is one standard that must be met.

“We have to drop the anchor within 100 yards of where we intended,” Kraemer said.

According to Kraemer, for Tuesday’s evolution, Carl Vinson dropped her port anchor within 1 yard and her starboard anchor within 10 yards.

“The operators and equipment are tested frequently, so our Sailors have the knowledge and skill to accomplish the evolution as precisely as possible and the equipment is proven to work as needed,” Myers said. “And, as liberty and anchoring are usually tied together, everyone on the ship has a vested interest in successful anchoring.”

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Sailors participate in a scrubbing exercise on the flight deck aboard Carl Vinson. Photo by MCSA Jacob G. Kaucher.

Sailors in a rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) come alongside Carl Vinson during a man overboard drill. Photo by MC3 Dean M. Cates.

Air department Sailors participate in a helicopter crash drill on the flight deck aboard Carl Vinson. Photo by MCSN Scott Fenaroli.

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 2nd Class Luis Collazo Alvarado prepares to launch a C-2A Greyhound from Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 30, on the flight deck aboard Carl Vinson.

Photo by MC2 (SW/AW) Nicolas C. Lopez.

Sailors participate in a security drill in a storage space aboard Carl Vinson. MC2 (SW/AW) Timothy Hazel.

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UNIT-LEVEL

Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Sonja Klawitter fires a .50 caliber machine gun on the fantail aboard Carl Vinson during a small arms shoot.

Photo by MC3 Dean M. Cates.

Sailors participate in a mass casualty drill in the hangar bay aboard Carl Vinson. Photo by MC3 Giovanni Squadrito.

Carl Vinson’s rifle detail stands at attention during a burial-at-sea in the hangar bay. Photo by MC2 (SW/AW) Nicolas C. Lopez.

L TRAINING

Aviation Structural Mechanic 3rd Class Howard Bronson performs maintenance on an MH-60S Seahawk attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 15 aboard Carl Vinson. Photo by MCSA Jacob G. Kaucher.

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ver the past few days and the previous underway, Carl Vinson’s crew focused on several evolutions that are more difficult to schedule during an underway with ongoing fixed-wing flight operations.

Departments throughout the ship were involved in perfecting the following evolutions: precision anchorage, mass conflagration, small boat operations and man overboard drills utilizing Oscar. Engineering and reactor departments also ran propulsion plant drills, weapons department executed a small arms fire on the fantail, combat systems tested their CIWS with a pre-action aim calibration fire, and command religious ministries department organized a burial at sea for 16 veterans. Successfully completing the scheduled training demonstrated Carl Vinson’s flexibility and overall readiness to make the most of any underway period.

Capt. Kent Whalen, commanding officer of USS Carl Vinson fires a 9 mm pistol on the fantail during a small arms shoot.

Photo by MC3 Dean M. Cates.

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Carl Vinson Tests

Close-In Weapons System

by MC2 (SW/AW) Timothy Hazel

A test shot is fired from a MK 15 Phalanx close-in weapon system (CIWS) on the flight deck aboard Carl Vinson. Photo by MCSA Jacob G. Kaucher.

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ore than 100 miles off the coast of Southern California, the buzzing sound of gunfire echoed across the open ocean as aircraft carrier Carl Vinson (CVN 70) conducted a preaction aim calibration (PAC) fire of its close-in weapon system (CIWS), April 18.

This was the second test of the two MK 15 Phalanx guns since their installation during Carl Vinson’s Planned Incremental Ability (PIA) completed February 1 of this year. Even though this wasn’t the inaugural firing of the new weapon system, there were still some firsts to be had.

“Naval Sea Systems Command installed the weapon and during the first shoot, they had a lot of control of the weapon,” said Fire Control Officer Ens. Steven Cast. “This is the first time the ship’s force will be in complete control. This is also the first time we will be integrating the weapon system with SUW-17, which are the crew served weapons like the .50-caliber machine gun. This being our first time, we are going to walk before we run.”

In addition, the MK 15 also gives

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the ship new capabilities that previous close-in weapons systems didn’t have.

“This weapon system is different than the other CIWS’s we’ve had on board,” Cast said. “The reason is that we have a phalanx thermal imager or PTI. It is a little camera on the side of the gun. The old weapon never had that and so they were only capable of anti-air warfare; things like missile defense and anti-aircraft defense. This system has surface-tosurface capabilities.”

From the operator’s perspective, his or her console gives a real time view of the target area, but the low resolution feed accompanied with joysticks can give the operator a somewhat surreal perspective.

“It is kind of like a video game,” said Fire Controlman 2nd Class (SW) Paul Sannes, CIWS operator.

“The screen reminds me of Call of Duty.”

And like a video game, the MK 15 is highly automated. It has the ability to track targets with the thermal imager. This highly technical aspect of the system boosts the ship’s ability to protect itself.

“With the CIWS’s ability to lock

onto targets, it has dramatically increased our force protection readiness,” Cast said.

The real-time perspective via the camera also allows for integration with operations on the ship’s bridge, ensuring an overall perspective.

“When the operator is down in the combat direction center, since they’re not topside, they can only see what the camera is seeing,” said Cast. “So when they lock on, the Captain and the anti-terrorism watch officer can see that that is indeed what we want to shoot. At that point, the Captain will order ‘batteries released’ and the operator will hit the fire button.”

For the weapons test shoot, everyone involved from the Captain down to the operator conducted operations at a very precise level.

“The operational environment was very intense. The crew was highly focused and there was excellent communication throughout the evolution,” Cast said.

“Overall it was pretty exciting; it was like orchestrated chaos,” Sannes said.

A test shot is fired from a MK 15 Phalanx closein weapons system (CIWS) on the flight deck aboard Carl Vinson.

Photo by MC3 Giovanni Squadrito.

Carl Vinson Conducts Countermeasure Washdown System Test

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by MC3 Michael H. Lee

Carl Vinson conducts a countermeasure washdown on the flight deck.

Photo by MC2 (SW/AW) Nicolas C. Lopez.

Damage Controlman 3rd Class Gilbert Gonzalez observes a countermeasure washdown on the flight deck aboard Carl Vinson.

Photo by MC2 (SW/AW) Nicolas C. Lopez.

arl Vinson successfully conducted a test of the countermeasure washdown system (CMWD) on the ship’s island April 18 during a four-day underway.

Crew members involved in the test monitored the efficiency of the system, which is used as a primary defense against chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) attacks. During a CBR attack, salt water from the ship’s firemain is sprayed on the island to reduce the chance of any contaminants making contact with the interior of the ship and the ship’s crew.

The air and engineering departments aboard Carl Vinson participated in the CMWD test. Sailors from damage control (DC) division conducted the inspection of the CMWD test on the island to discover any discrepancies.

The CMWD test was in preparation for the Type Commander (TYCOM) Material Assessment, said Senior Chief Petty Officer (SW/AW) Jared Klink, DC division leading chief petty officer. The TYCOM material assessment team comes aboard and inspects the ship from bow to stern to determine the level of the ship’s operation as designed.

The CMWD system is tested when the ship pulls out of the ship yards, prior to flight operations and during routine tests for maintenance accomplishments and ship certification.

Carl Vinson has not utilized the CMWD system in an actual event in recent years, but planned maintenance and testing is a critical component to the ship’s safety at sea, as illustrated when aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) engaged their CMWD system off the coast of Fukushima, Japan during the shore-based nuclear powerplant meltdown March 11, 2011.

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by MCSN Hansel D. Pintos

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elicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 15 and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73 joined Carl Vinson for two, fourday underway periods, April 16 through 19 and April 22 through 25, respectively.

Members of HSC-15 and HSM-73 integrated with the ship’s crew for squadron-specific evolutions while also providing operational support to Carl Vinson and its crew.

HSC-15’s main focus was to train three junior pilots for landing aboard a ship.

“To meet certain qualifications such as helicopter 2nd pilot, they need to perform multiple landing maneuvers,” said Lt. Albert Snipes, a pilot for HSC15. “Part of those exercises include landing within a ship environment.”

HSM-73’s main focus was to complete touch-andgo’s at night, which is a series of helicopter landings where the pilot lands the aircraft for a moment, and immediately takes-off.

This was done in order to keep flight qualifications current for two of their pilots.

“During this exercise pilots practice finding the ship at night,” said Master Chief Avionics Technician

A MH-60S Sea Hawk from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 15 takes off during a search and rescue exercise from the flight deck aboard Carl Vinson. Photo by MCSA Jacob G. Kaucher.

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An MH-60S Seahawk from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 15 conducts plane guard duties for Carl Vinson as it prepares to pull into its homeport of Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI). Photo by MC3 Giovanni Squadrito.

(AW) Kevin Doby, maintenance master chief for HSM73. “The helicopter takes off from North Island, lands on the ship, and then leaves. This is done several times.”

While aboard, HSC-15 took the opportunity to get involved in Carl Vinson’s Search and Rescue (SAR) training exercises, deploying helicopters and retrieving divers to simulate a rescue.

“During SAR practice, helicopters generally are prepared into a ‘truck configuration,’” Doby said, “which means all cargo and equipment is emptied out in order to make space for potential rescue victims.”

HSC-15 also joined in the Pre-action Aim Calibration (PAC) fire exercise that involved the second test of Carl Vinson’s new MK-15 Phalanx weapons system, which was installed during Carl Vinson’s Planned Incremental Ability (PIA) period.

“We provided range clearance for the PAC fire exercise. We flew around and made sure that there are no vessels in the way of gun fire,” said Lt. Cmdr.

Mica Foster, a pilot for HSC-15. “We also dropped targets for the PAC fire shooting exercise.”

HSC-15 and HSM-73 helicopters provided plane guard during daily operations by flying alongside the carrier to provide immediate rescue in the event of crash or man overboard.

When the ship leaves the pier, and when it transits the channel back to pier, aircraft are sent to fly around the ship in a routine security operation known as Anti-Terrorism Force Protection (ATFP), Foster explained.

Anytime flight quarters are set, we are up in a plane guard pattern to provide support in case we need to render immediate assistance should fixed wing aircraft have a problem while launching or recovering, Snipes added.

Working with Carl Vinson gave both squadrons an opportunity to prepare for future missions.

“These underway exercises give us a chance to integrate, and train. We learn to work together, in preparation for deployment, and that’s what it’s about,” Doby said.

Carl Vinson Keeps Safe and Secure

by MCSA Matthew A. Carlyle

Master-at-Arms 3rd Class (AW) Michelle Roman.

“You want to be ready at all times for any possibility.

We all need to be drilled and we all need to be up-todate with what’s happening in the world because these are things that could happen here.”

The security Hanna Porterfield, Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS) agent training drills are aboard Carl Vinson, participates in a security drill. designed by the ship’s Photo by MC2 (SW/AW) Timothy Hazel. training department, hether it’s an active shooter explained Master-at-Arms 1st Class or an improvised explosive (SW/EXW) Shannon Schwartz, leading device (IED) endangering the petty officer of security department’s 3rd safety of the ship and its Sailors, Carl section. At any given time, the security Vinson remains alert and prepared to department has more than a dozen engage any dangerous scenario. scenarios prepared, to keep the training From a chemical, biological and surprising and varying in difficulty. radiological (CBR) attack to an “The most complex one would unidentified aircraft flying too close probably be a barricaded active shooter to our airspace, security department [drill],” Schwartz said. “That’d be where continuously trains its personnel on how someone has a weapon in a space with to handle a wide variety of threatening plenty of cover where they can hide and situations. take your officers out one-by-one. Those “We test security personnel to see if are usually the ones that are the most they’re up-to-par on their skills,” said difficult to deal with.”

Master-at-Arms 2nd Class (SW/EXW) In addition to the active shooter drill, Jamie Robinson, a security department security personnel were refreshed on watch commander. “It ensures that they how to respond to an IED and a hostage are ready to respond to anything that’s situation. thrown at them.”

“As far as responding to an IED, During Carl Vinson’s two most recent underway periods, April 16 through19 and April 22 through 25, security personnel were trained how to respond to the discovery of an IED on board, how to handle a hostage scenario and how to react to an active shooter on the mess decks.

With a nation shaken by recent shootings and bombings, Carl Vinson is staying at-the-ready to meet any disaster aboard promptly and appropriately.

“The drills are important for the ship Sailors participate in a security drill in a storage because these threats are possible,” said space aboard Carl Vinson. Photo by MC2 (SW/

W

AW) Timothy Hazel.

they must set the proper boundary, make sure they clear a perimeter and keep everyone outside of it,” Robinson said. “They must also notify the proper personnel and contact the officer of the deck so [the OOD] can send it up to the executive officer and commanding officer.”

During the hostage drill, teams trained on how to locate and enter a space where a hostage situation is occurring, breach the area and take down the perpetrator, Roman said.

Security welcomes help from outside departments to coordinate the security training with them in order to get more Sailors involved and aware of security protocol and create a more complex scenario.

Our drills take place throughout the ship in spaces belonging to different departments, Schwartz said. “We involve other departments to create a more difficult scenario than we could with only security personnel. This makes the situation a little different every time and forces our teams to act accordingly. We aim to involve the element of surprise with these drills, and this helps retain that element.”

Robinson stressed the importance of security personnel knowing how to keep the ship safe at all times, and looks forward to more training so they can continue to stay at their very best.

“We don’t want people to get stagnant and – should something actually happen – stand around like a deer in the headlights,” Robinson said. “[Running drills] keeps everyone in security up on their skills.”

Schwartz advised that if any dangerous situation should occur, Sailors should call security dispatch immediately in order for security personnel to react promptly.

He also emphasized the importance of all hands heeding security warnings and taking drills seriously.

“Try and help us out when you guys are out there, when we’re drilling and things like that,” Schwartz said. “If we say ‘get out of the way,’ just give us our space. Let us do our job.”

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CAPT. KENT WHALEN Commanding Officer

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LCDR KYLE RAINES Public Affairs Officer

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EXECUTIVE EDITORS

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AF ST

PUBLISHER

LTJG TREVOR DAVIDS Assistant Public Affairs Officer

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MCC (AW/SW) MONICA NELSON Media Leading Chief Petty Officer

MEDIA DEPARTMENT

The easiest way to get control of your money is to create a spending plan – a device used to clearly show where your money is going. It’s also your first step in meeting larger financial goals. With a spending plan in place you will be better able to find the money you’ll need to reach them.

By adding up your monthly expenses and subtracting them from your take-home pay, you find the amount per month you have to save or apply to longer-term goals, such as paying off high-interest credit card debt or building an emergency fund.

Some longer-term goals can also help you stretch your money even further. Paying off credit card debt can free up more cash because you lose monthly bills and cease paying interest every month. Pre-tax retirement saving plans like the Thrift Savings Plan lower your taxable income and grow tax-deferred in the future. An emergency fund gives you a cushion that can help you avoid expensive debt.

If you’re married, complete a spending plan with your spouse. You’ll want to set goals and identify any expenses you can reduce together. This will help avoid misunderstandings or overspending.

This Action Plan requires six steps: 1 Add up your monthly expenses. List your monthly bills, such as mortgage/ rent, car payment, insurance premiums, utilities and phone bills.

2 Add up your household’s monthly take-home pay. This includes after-tax pay for you and your spouse and any other income, such as investment or rental income.

3 Subtract your expenses from your income. If you’re close to zero or get a negative number, take a second look at your non-essential expenses, such as entertainment and travel. These items are easier to trim if you’re spending too much or if that money is needed elsewhere.

4 List your other financial priorities, such as building up an emergency fund, paying off credit card debt or saving for retirement or college. Estimate the amount needed to meet your goal and the time to reach it. Then divide the time (in months) into the amount to find a monthly savings target.

5 Match your money with your expenses and your goals. When your income and expenses are clearly laid out, you’ll see where you can make trade-offs to come up with more cash to improve your longer-term financial situation. Adjust your spending until you’re spending less than you make or are saving enough to meet your other financial priorities.

6 Review your plan and priorities every few months. A spending plan is a “living document” that will change with your needs and situation. http://www.saveandinvest.org/MilitaryCenter/MilitaryFinancialToolkits/ MakingEndsMeet/P124805

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MONEY MATTERS!

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Vertical spar at the stem to which the jack is hoisted on a commissioned ship not underway.

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Jackstaff

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Vertical staff at the stern to which the ensign is hoisted when moored or at anchor.

Flagstaff & Jackstaff

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Flagstaff

PHOTO EDITOR

MC2 (SW/AW) TIMOTHY HAZEL

GRAPHICS/LAYOUT

MC2 (SW) MEGAN L. CATELLIER MC3 MICHAEL H. LEE

STAFF WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

MC2 (SW/AW) NICOLAS C. LOPEZ MC3 GIOVANNI SQUADRITO MC3 DEAN M. CATES MCSN HANSEL D. PINTOS MCSN CURTIS D. SPENCER MCSN SCOTT FENAROLI MCSA JACOB G. KAUCHER MCSA SAMUEL LECAIN MCSA MATTHEW A. CARLYLE

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